Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
by Aaron Nowack
Summary: The Scarlet Moon Empire is defeated, but the war with the Jowston Alliance continues, even as internal problems beset the Toran Republic. And at this critical time, President Tir McDohl slips out of Gregminster late one night...
1. Part 1: Memory

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn  
A Genso Suikoden Fanfic  
By: Aaron Nowack  
  
Part 1: Memory  
  
"Thus is our treaty written; thus is agreement made.  
Thought is the arrow of time; memory never fades.  
What was asked is given. The price is paid."  
- _The Shadow Rising_ by Robert Jordan  
  
***********************************************************************  
Disclaimer: The Genso Suikoden game series is made and owned by Konami.  
As I am neither a corporation nor Japanese, that would not be me. The  
title of this fic is stolen from the title of a fantasy novel series by  
Tad Williams, who is also not me. This fic brought to you by the GOLDEN  
EMPEROR: BARRRRRRRBARRRRRRRROSSSSSA!!!!!  
***********************************************************************  
  
The Rune of Life and Death, also called the Cursed Rune, but  
best known as Souleater. One of the Twenty-Seven True Runes, formed  
from the primordial void at the dawn of creation, one of the jewels that  
adorned the twin brothers Sword and Shield, from whose conflict the  
world was born. Like its brethren, part of the foundation of the world,  
the bedrock on which all of reality rested.  
  
It allowed Life to exist, and caused it to end at Death.  
Without its power, neither would exist, and the world would be  
unrecognizable. That power was awesome, and there were many who sought  
to wield it. However, like all awesome power, it came with a terrible  
price. It was that price which gave the Rune its more common name.  
  
Unlike the more common Runes, the Souleater allowed access to  
its power only as it saw fit. It would twist fate so that its bearers'  
loved ones would fall one by one, their souls trapped forever within the  
Rune. As each was consumed, the Souleater would grant new power to its  
'master'. Over time the bearer could control this process, or even stop  
it, but it was a feat that took centuries to master. The wielder would  
have all the time he needed, for like all the True Runes, it granted the  
painful gift of immortality to any it allowed to carry it.  
  
Because of the curse it bore, few could stand to keep Souleater  
long enough to accomplish this, instead choosing to end their own lives  
or pass the burden to another. And so, Souleater had had many masters  
through the centuries.  
  
In the year In Solis 455, it had fallen to a young man named Tir  
McDohl to wield the Cursed Rune, as destiny chose him as its agent to  
change the course of history. Over three long years of war and  
suffering, Tir gathered the 108 Stars of Destiny to his banner. Through  
their combined efforts, they brought an end to the corrupt Scarlet Moon  
Empire. The evil sorceress Windy was vanquished, her plans to control  
the Cursed Rune come to naught. A new power was rising under the banner  
of the Toran Republic, and young McDohl was chosen as its leader.  
  
All this had passed as the mysterious sage Leknaat, keeper of  
the Rune of the Gate, had foreseen, bringing her plans to fruition. Her  
blind eyes now turned northward to the lands of the Jowston Alliance,  
where she could feel the strands of destiny already beginning to ensnare  
a new hero.  
  
But just because the Gate Rune Wars have ended does not mean  
that the story is over. Even without the force of destiny pushing him  
to greatness, the wielder of a True Rune is never allowed to merely  
float passively along the river of history. To him is given the  
ability, and with it the responsibility, to guide and shape the flow.  
  
For him, the story never ends.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Fall had come to the Golden City of Gregminster with surprising  
suddenness. Tir found it hard to believe that it was only a month ago  
that he had lead the Liberation Army in triumph to the walls of the  
capital, sending the demon Yuber's army scattering to the four winds, or  
that it was a month ago that he had defeated the Sovereign Rune's  
monstrous incarnation. Most of all he found it difficult to believe that  
only a month ago Barbarossa Rugner, the last Emperor of the Scarlet Moon  
Empire, had leapt to his death from the Floating Gardens.  
  
Those gardens were gone forever now, destroyed in the magical  
backlash of the cataclysmic final conflict. The lower palace had  
weathered the destruction surprisingly well, and it was nearly restored  
to its former splendor already.  
  
The same could not be said for the city of Gregminster. The  
scars of war ran deep, and it would be years before they were healed.  
Thousands of refugees lived in the rubble-strewn streets, having fled  
the devastation that was all that remained of the once-rich province of  
Arlus. As the rest of the Empire had been liberated, the people of the  
capital province had borne more and more of the burden of keeping the  
Imperial Army in the field, eventually driving even the richest to  
poverty. And now, the remnants of that army had turned to banditry to  
survive, and had stolen most of the little that remained. Rockland,  
the town where Tir had committed his first open act of rebellion, was  
little more than a ghost town, and most of the region's other cities  
were similarly deserted.  
  
Tir rubbed his head, trying to fight off a rapidly approaching  
headache. He looked around the throne room, where the provisional  
leadership of the Toran Republic had taken to meeting each day. At  
Tir's right hand sat Lepant, recently chosen as Tir's Vice President,  
while Warren, who had assumed the position of Chairman of the  
Provisional Senate, sat on his left. Further down the table sat those  
military leaders who were presently in the city- Admiral Sonya Schulen  
and Generals Valeria Haia and Kwanda Rossman. At the foot of the table  
sat Hanzo, chief of the Rokkaku ninja. Joshua Levenheit, commander of  
the Dragon Knights, would normally be seated next to the ninja, but he  
had returned to the Knighthood of the Dragon's Den to handle his own  
affairs. This was the Provisional Council, and it was the extent of the  
Republic's government for now.  
  
"Is there any word on grain shipments?" Tir asked. Food would  
have to be found and sent to Gregminster soon, or starvation would be  
added to the list of the occupants' woes.  
  
Warren shook his head. "We have some coming up from Kouan,  
thanks to Lepant, but the other cities in Gouran don't have any surplus  
grain to send."  
  
"And we don't have enough ships to bring grain from anywhere  
else fast enough, even if we could afford to buy it," added Sonya.  
  
"That's very well, Admiral," Lepant said, "but not very  
helpful."  
  
Sonya glared at Lepant for a moment. She had been one of the  
Five Great Imperial Generals, loyal almost to the end, and she despised  
those who had abandoned the Empire before her. "I have no help to  
offer. Only a handful of ships survived the destruction of Shasarazade,  
and it will be years before my navy can be rebuilt."  
  
"What about Kun To?" Tir asked.  
  
"That old scoundrel?" Lepant said, but after a moment he nodded.  
"He loaned his fleet to the Liberation Army once, perhaps he will see  
fit to loan it again. Hopefully he won't ask for too high a price."  
The Vice President jotted a note to himself on the paper that lay before  
him. "The next matter is... the situation with Jowston."  
  
Valeria broke her silence. "The situation is not good. General  
Hazil has taken command of the northern checkpoint, but Jowston still  
controls the fortress of Moravia."  
  
"My scouts tell me that the enemy has occupied the entire Banner  
Pass," Hanzo said. "If we do not push them out soon, they could  
threaten Gregminster itself."  
  
Lepant shook his head. "I've told you a thousand times, Hanzo,  
we don't have the men to retake Rokkaku and still maintain the  
northwestern front. There's little chance of them coming out of the  
pass, anyway, as after the first snow they'd be cut off from Jowston."  
  
Hanzo might have frowned behind his mask. "We must do  
something," he said. No one answered him.  
  
After a moment's uncomfortable silence, Valeria spoke again.  
"The only good news is that the only cities we seem to be facing are  
Tinto and South Window. The other cities seem to be more concerned  
about the border skirmishes with Highland."  
  
Kwanda nodded. "If Muse or Two River were to join the  
offensive, we would be in dire straits. We just don't have the soldiers  
to hold off the full might of the Jowston Alliance."  
  
Tir sighed. "There's really nothing we can do about that now,  
General Rossman. What is next on the agenda?"  
  
Lepant shuffled the papers that were strewn about him. "The  
Stonecrafter's Guild is requesting a twenty-year tax exemption in return  
for their help in rebuilding Gregminster..."  
  
Tir closed his eyes as Lepant continued. He had thought that  
once Barbarossa was dead things would be simple, but fate seemed intent  
on proving him wrong.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Kasumi heard an almost silent footstep behind her, and reacted  
instantly, dropping to a crouch and rolling away. A shuriken hit in a  
nearby tree, the force of the impact causing a few leaves to flutter to  
the ground. Kasumi quickly spun about, throwing a shuriken of her own  
at her opponent, but was not surprised when he dodged the missile  
easily.  
  
Kasumi, using the other ninja's distraction to close the  
distance between them, lashed out with a series of lightning-fast  
punches and kicks. Most of the attacks were blocked or dodged, but  
enough got through to send Kasumi's opponent stumbling to the ground.  
  
Holding back a sigh, Kasumi offered the fallen ninja a hand,  
which he accepted. "You still have a lot to learn, Fuma. I heard you  
trying to sneak up on me." Chief Hanzo had given her the task of  
training the new recruit, a responsibility which irked her to some  
extent- she would rather be helping to evict the Jowston forces from  
Banner Pass and reclaim Rokkaku.  
  
"I don't think it's possible for anyone to sneak up on you,"  
Fuma complained.  
  
"I can," Hanzo said.  
  
Kasumi nearly jumped. Fuma actually did. Muttering a curse  
under her breath, Kasumi turned to her chief. "Don't scare me like  
that!"  
  
Hanzo probably smiled behind his mask. "I will continue to  
'scare' you until you can hear me coming as easily as you can hear  
Fuma." The older ninja paused a moment, then continued, "And watch your  
mouth with your chief."  
  
Kasumi restrained the urge to utter a second curse, instead  
nodding. "I will try, Chief Hanzo," she replied.  
  
Hanzo nodded back at her, then turned to Fuma. "You are getting  
better. Perhaps it is time I started training you myself."  
  
"What would you have me do, then?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"I am leaving Gregminster," Hanzo said. "Regardless of what  
Lepant thinks, it is time to for Rokkaku to be ours once again." If  
Hanzo was smiling underneath the black cloth that shrouded his face, the  
smile no doubt turned mirthless. "With the winter, death will come to  
the Jowston army. However, it would not do to allow our... alliance  
with the Toran Republic to lapse. Hence, you will take my place as  
Rokkaku's representative on the Provisional Council."  
  
Kasumi bowed. "Thank you, Chief Hanzo." After a moment's wait  
she asked, "How was... President McDohl today?"  
  
Hanzo's cold blue eyes stared at her and he was silent for a  
while before he responded. "That boy bears a terrible burden, Kasumi.  
I would advise you to forget your attraction to him, for your own sake."  
  
Kasumi grimaced, and lowered her eyes.  
  
Hanzo sighed. "It is, however, your decision to make. I wish  
you happiness in your choice, whatever it might be." With that, Hanzo  
turned away. "Come with me, Fuma."  
  
Kasumi watched the other two ninja leave and shivered, though  
not because of the cold wind.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Tir McDohl, provisional President of the Toran Republic, entered  
the Gregminster Palace graveyard with a trembling step. It seemed his  
daily walks always ended in this morbid place. The setting sun cast  
long shadows over the quiet landscape. Tir let out a breath he hadn't  
realized he had been holding, and began to walk down the earthen path  
that lead into the heart of the graveyard.  
  
The palace graveyard was huge, containing centuries worth of  
dead, going back to before Kranach Rugner had founded the Scarlet Moon  
Empire. The oldest graves were positioned closest to the entrance, and  
it was almost dark before Tir reached the graves he sought.  
  
The first was that of an old friend. Pahn. He had been a  
mentor, a guardian, and sometimes almost a father to Tir. Despite that,  
Tir had never known much about Pahn's past. All he knew was that Pahn  
had fought against Tir's father during the Succession War, switching  
sides after Teo spared his life. Tir laughed bitterly at the irony of  
his guardian's death, slain by the same man who had spared him so many  
years ago.  
  
Tir absently scratched his right palm, then turned to the grave  
that lay next to Pahn's. Tir knelt before the tombstone, wishing he  
could find tears to shed. He had made sure that this body had been  
delivered to Gregminster, even though it was at the height of the war.  
He knew that his father had wanted to be buried here.  
  
It should have pained him more. Here lay his father, and he was  
the one who had killed him. He knew that the histories would always  
mention that the "Victor of a Hundred Battles" had finally known defeat  
at the hands of his own son. It had the feeling of a legend already,  
and the story would no doubt live on long after the war was forgotten.  
  
Tir bowed his head a moment. "Father..." he said, searching for  
words he could not find, as he did each night. He could not say how  
long he knelt before his father's grave, as darkness fell around him.  
The first night he had done this, he had caused a panic, as none had  
known where to find him.  
  
Tir's right hand suddenly pulsed, and he rose, unthinkingly  
summoning a ball of cold, bright light. He glanced about, his eyes  
finally falling on Barbarossa's empty tomb. "Who's there?" he called  
out harshly.  
  
After a moment, a lithe form leapt from the tomb's roof,  
gracefully landing just inside the range of the light. Tir nodded  
curtly, and relaxed somewhat. "Kasumi. What do you want?" The  
question came out a bit harder than he intended, and he saw the ninja  
wince slightly.  
  
"I... I just want to talk to you, Tir," she said softly. "It's  
not healthy for you to do this every night."  
  
Tir laughed. "Is that all? I assure you, I'm perfectly  
healthy. My Rune sees to that."  
  
Kasumi shivered. "I don't mean it like that, Tir. You can't do  
anything for the dead. It's the living that need you now."  
  
Tir smiled, but the smile did not touch his eyes. "They died  
for me. Father and Pahn. Gremio and Ted. Mathiu. They all died  
because of me. This seems the least I can do."  
  
Kasumi shivered a second time, and changed the subject. "How  
can you stand the cold? It's freezing out here."  
  
"Is it cold?" Tir asked, frowning. "I didn't notice."  
  
"That's scary," Kasumi said.  
  
Tir felt another pulse in his right palm, and with a sick  
feeling in his gut he realized that he could feel Kasumi standing before  
him, feel her warmth, her life. His stomach twisted again as he felt  
the Souleater reaching out, pulling at her. "You should be scared," Tir  
said as he wrestled with the Rune.  
  
Tir fell to his knees, the Rune burning on his hand. "No..." he  
muttered. "Don't..."  
  
Kasumi raced forward as Tir fell. "What happened?"  
  
Tir looked up at her. "Get away!" he screamed.  
  
Kasumi came to a halt. "What..." she began.  
  
"Leave! Please," Tir begged, and after a moment Kasumi complied.  
As she left, Tir relaxed his mental struggle. Pure destruction emerged  
from his palm, streaming hungrily in the direction the ninja girl had  
gone.  
  
After the rune's power was spent, Tir rose, staring at the rune  
on his palm, now quiet, showing no sign of the life it had just  
displayed. After some time, he stared up at the full moon, estimating  
the time of night.  
  
After another moment, he nodded, and set off for his chambers.  
If he was lucky, he could be in Lenankamp by dawn, and past the Fortress  
of Kwaba before it could be alerted.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The next morning, Kasumi rose early to attend her first meeting  
of the Provisional Council as Chief Hanzo's representative. When she  
arrived, only Valeria was there. "What's wrong?"  
  
Valeria sighed. "President McDohl's gone missing. One of the  
maids found his bed empty when she brought him breakfast this morning."  
  
"All right," Kasumi said quietly. "Take me to his room."  
  
Valeria nodded, and shortly the two women arrived there, finding  
the rest of the Provisional Council interrogating the maid who had  
discovered that Tir was missing.  
  
Kasumi ignored the conversation, instead stepping through the  
open door and examining the room. It had been Barbarossa's, though Tir  
had removed many of the more ostentatious decorations, most of which  
were then sold to finance the staggering cost of running the Republic.  
  
"Has anyone touched anything in here?" Kasumi asked.  
  
After a moment of too harsh questioning, the maid managed to  
convey that she had run to tell someone as soon as she had seen that  
room was empty, and that she certainly hadn't destroyed any evidence.  
  
Kasumi nodded. "There's no sign of a struggle. I don't think  
anyone could kidnap him without some sort of fight, so we can rule that  
out." The other members of the Provisional Council muttered their  
agreement. Kasumi ignored them, instead concentrating on searching the  
room.  
  
After a moment, she announced, "He took his staff and his  
backpack, and most of his traveling clothes. It's safe to say he's not  
planning on coming back in the near future."  
  
"What do we do?" Lepant asked.  
  
"If the people find out that President McDohl is gone, they  
might lose their faith in the new government. The whole Republic could  
collapse," Warren said, stroking his beard.  
  
General Kwanda frowned. "If that happens, then you can count on  
South Window's flag flying over Gregminster by the end of next summer."  
  
Valeria grimaced, but after a moment she nodded. "Rossman's  
right. Our situation just isn't stable enough to take a shock like  
this."  
  
"I'll have to temporarily assume the duties of President,"  
Lepant said. "If necessary, we'll announce that President McDohl has  
gone into seclusion to consider how to solve the problems we face.  
Someone send a fast messenger to Kwaba, and alert the commander there of  
the situation."  
  
"I'll see to it myself," Kwanda said. "I'll make sure he  
understands the matter is to be kept secret."  
  
"And I'll alert the forces guarding the Banner Pass, in case he  
heads that way," Valeria said.  
  
Kasumi nodded. "I will track him down. I have the best chance  
of finding him quickly, before word of this gets out."  
  
"All right," Kwanda said. "I'll get a squad of men to accompany  
you."  
  
Kasumi smiled softly and shook her head. "They couldn't keep up  
me," she said, seeming to vanish into thin air.  
  
Kwanda cursed. "How, by all Twenty-Seven True Runes, do those  
ninja do that?"  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Author's Random Ramblings  
  
1) All comments are, of course, greatly appreciated.  
  
2) Thanks goes to Ryan Hupp for his incredibly thorough prereading,  
without which this fic would be far poorer. Now, if only he'd get  
around to finishing Shades of Gray...  
  
3) The name Tir is used for the main character in this fic, as that is  
the name used in the official Japanese novels.  
  
4) As you may have noticed, this fic is not based off the optimal ending  
to Suikoden. The sequence of events assumed for this fic is that all  
108 Stars of Destiny get recruited, but Pahn dies in his duel against  
Teo, and so Gremio is not resurrected at the end.  
  
5) Rabid Suikoden fans may protest that the last name I gave Valeria  
(Haia), is in fact the name of her swordsmaster, who is no relation to  
her. I have an explanation for this! In the continuity of this fic,  
Roundier Haia's students took his name as a sign of respect. So  
therefore, Anita would be Anita Haia, were she to appear in this story  
(which she won't). 


	2. Part 2: Sorrow

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn   
A Genso Suikoden Fanfic   
By: Aaron Nowack  
  
Part 2: Sorrow  
  
"The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse  
to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal- every other  
affliction to forget: but this wound we consider it a duty to  
keep open."  
- Washington Irving  
  
***********************************************************************  
Disclaimer: The Genso Suikoden game series is made and owned by Konami.  
As I am neither a corporation nor Japanese, that would not be me. The  
title of this fic is stolen from the title of a fantasy novel series by  
Tad Williams, who is also not me. This fic brought to you by a random  
dog. Kooooooooon.  
***********************************************************************  
  
Almost immediately, Kasumi faced a difficult question: which  
direction did Tir go? The walls of Gregminster were still broken in a  
dozen places, so interrogating the gate guards would be useless. It was  
too much to hope for that he would leave some evidence of his passage.  
Even this early in the morning, far too many people would have entered  
and left the city for any such trace to survive.  
  
Still, Kasumi decided that heading south was the best option.  
Tir would almost certainly try to leave Arlus, and the only easy ways  
out were Banner Pass to the north and the Fortress of Kwaba to the  
south. The Banner Pass was under Jowston occupation, and Kasumi doubted  
that Tir would try to slip through enemy lines.  
  
It was close to noon when Kasumi reached the city of Lenankamp,  
one of the few cities in Arlus besides Gregminster to have survived the  
war mostly intact. Tir would almost certainly have passed through  
while most people were still asleep, so Kasumi conducted only the most  
cursory of investigations before continuing on her way.  
  
The Fortress of Kwaba provided more enlightening information.  
The fortress guards remembered the boy who had been waiting outside when  
the gates had been opened in the morning, and they agreed that he  
matched the description Kasumi gave of her "runaway brother." Knowing  
that she was most of a day behind Tir, Kasumi chose to press on despite  
the fact that it was already closer to nightfall than noon. She spent a  
cold night in a grove of trees halfway between Kwaba and the village of  
Seika.  
  
Kasumi reached Seika early the next morning, and spent an hour  
interviewing the villagers only to find that no one there had seen Tir.  
Without any further clues, Kasumi decided to continue to head south  
along the main road to Kouan. She could only hope she would find  
something of use there.  
  
It was well past noon when Kasumi noticed the smell of smoke on  
the air. Worried, she sprinted to the top of the next hill, only to  
stop at the sight that greeted her. A large caravan was spread out  
before her, wagons overturned and burning in some places. Nothing  
seemed to be moving among the wagons- the horses all appeared to have  
been killed while still hitched.  
  
Kasumi cautiously descended the shallow slope, alert for any  
danger. When she had convinced herself that no attackers remained, she  
searched the wagons, and quickly came to the sickening realization that  
this had to have been one of the grain caravans destined for  
Gregminster. The attackers, almost certainly bandits, had stolen any  
valuables that might have been present, but had left a large amount of  
the grain behind. Most of it was ruined from exposure to the elements.  
  
Oddly, Kasumi could not find any bodies, but an answer shortly  
presented itself. To the side of the road she found a series of low  
mounds, roughly carved wooden grave markers placed atop each. Kasumi  
frowned. No bandits would have buried their victims.  
  
A more careful search revealed signs that a large body of men  
had left the caravan, heading east towards the Great Forest. However,  
there were also signs of a more recent passage. A single pair of  
footprints that had probably been made no earlier than noon. Kasumi had  
a strong hunch as to who might be following the bandits.  
  
After spending a moment in silent prayer for the dead, Kasumi  
added another set of footprints to the trail.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Tir McDohl expertly blocked the first two wild sword blows with  
his quarterstaff, then whirled the weapon about to slam into the  
bandit's head with a bone-shattering crack. Even before his opponent  
had fallen, Tir swept the legs out from beneath the bandit's comrade.  
Before the second bandit could regain his feet, the iron-clad tip of  
Tir's staff had crushed his windpipe.  
  
Tir let out a heavy breath. He had managed to kill the two  
sentries before they were able to sound the alarm. It had been  
remarkably easy to track the bandits here at first- they had not even  
tried to hide their trail until they entered the forest. After that,  
Tir had been forced to leave behind some old Liberation Army markings in  
case the bandit's hideout proved to be too well defended and he was  
forced to return with help.  
  
Fortunately, it did not seem as though that would be a problem.  
Stepping past the sentries' corpses, Tir entered the hideout. The first  
cave was empty, save for a roughly cut set of stairs leading up to  
another chamber. Obviously the bandits had been here for a long time.  
  
Tir quietly climbed the stairs, then snuck into the next cave,  
back pressed against the wall. He was in luck. Most of the bandits  
seemed to all be gathered here, clustered around a few large sacks  
bulging with valuables.  
  
One of the bandits, apparently the leader, growled as he began  
to empty the bags onto the stony floor. "Most of this is only copper!  
This wasn't worth our time."  
  
Scattered mutterings of agreement met this statement, and the  
bandits began to glare daggers at a portly man clad in a filthy Imperial  
uniform, who gulped audibly. "But, Skoros, by stopping that caravan,  
we've dealt a telling blow to the rebel..."  
  
The leader cut him off with an angry wave of his hand and  
another snarl. "I don't care about the government, Kanaan! You told us  
the caravan was filled with treasure." Tir had to suppress a growl  
himself. Kanaan! The former Vice-Captain of the Imperial Guards, the  
man was an embodiment of all that had been wrong with the Scarlet Moon  
Empire: corrupt, incompetent, and a coward to the core. Tir hadn't  
recognized him at first- despite his still vast size, he had lost a  
great deal of weight since the last time Tir had seen him.  
  
Kanaan threw himself to his knees. "Lord Skoros, thanks to this  
raid, we have enough food to last us through the winter!"  
  
Skoros stepped forward, lifting Kanaan up by his neck with one  
hand- an amazing feat of strength, considering Kanaan's bulk. "And  
that's the only reason I'm not going to kill you right now for lying to  
me." The bandit tossed Kanaan against a nearby wall and smirked. "But  
I'm not gonna tell them not to, either." Kanaan moaned and stumbled  
away from the group as the other bandits drew their swords, smiles  
matching their leader's.  
  
Tir decided that this had gone on long enough. He wanted to see  
Kanaan punished for his true crimes, not killed for lying to bandits.  
Smiling grimly, Tir stepped into the torchlight. Almost immediately, all  
attention was focused on him.  
  
"Who are you?" Skoros roared.  
  
Tir ignored him. "This is your first and only chance to  
surrender. Lay down your weapons and I'll let you live."  
  
Skoros laughed. "There's only one of you, and two dozens of us.  
Get him, boys!"  
  
The bandits raced forward, and Tir sighed. As they approached,  
he shifted his staff to his left hand and raised his right. His palm  
burned, and the torches went out, plunging the cave into near-darkness.  
Tir could feel space folding and twisting before him, and could hear the  
bandits' screams.  
  
After a moment, the burning in his palm ceased and Tir smiled.  
Only Skoros remained standing. The other bandits had fallen where they  
stood. Tir struck quickly, before Skoros's eyes could finish adjusting  
to the darkness. Unfortunately, he managed to get his sword up in time  
to block the attack, then struck back with a series of vicious blows.  
  
Tir's smile widened. Skoros was surprisingly skilled, but he  
was far from good enough. Tir used his superior speed to dart out of  
the way of a sword thrust, then brought the bottom of his quarterstaff  
up between his opponent's legs. As Skoros doubled over in pain, his  
weapon dropping from suddenly weak hands, Tir swung down with the other  
end of his staff, solidly connecting with the bandit's head.  
  
Skoros collapsed, unconscious, and Tir didn't hesitate before  
killing the man with a quick jab of his staff. As he glanced around, he  
grimaced. Kanaan had fled during the brief battle. Tir considered  
searching for the former bureaucrat, but decided against it. "After  
all," he said, thinking out loud, "if I let myself get too distracted,  
they'll close the Fortress of Garan before I can get through it."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Kasumi frowned as she inspected the two corpses. It didn't take  
much skill to determine that they had been killed by a blunt weapon and  
without managing to score a blow on their assailant. Kasumi checked the  
bodies' temperature. They weren't warm, but they weren't quite cold  
either. They had died not too long ago. Assuming her hunch was right,  
she was gaining time on Tir.  
  
The previous night she had pushed herself hard, finally resting  
close to midnight inside the boundaries of the Great Forest. It had  
taken her almost an hour to relocate the bandits' trail, but she had  
found some old signs used by the Liberation Army's scouts, and followed  
them here.  
  
Deciding not to waste any more time, Kasumi strode into the cave  
and up the stairs she found within. In the next chamber, she found the  
rest of the bandits- most of them with not a single mark on their bodies  
and quite chill to the touch. She knew exactly what had caused those  
deaths, and shuddered involuntarily as she remembered the last time she  
had seen it happen.  
  
It had been during the final storming of the Imperial Palace.  
Ain Gide, the Emperor's last loyal general was dead, but the surviving  
Imperial Guards had fought on, refusing to surrender. Tir had lead the  
spearhead of the assault, determined to find and slay Barbarossa before  
the Golden Emperor could escape to one day raise the banner of the  
Empire once again. It had seemed that they could hardly take five steps  
without another squad of elite soldiers pouring out of a side corridor  
with battle-cries on their lips.  
  
Yet each time, before they could strike, Tir had simply raised  
his right hand and summoned forth the power of his rune. Reality itself  
would seem to twist into impossible configurations, and when it was over  
the guardsmen would be dead. Somewhere along the course of the assault,  
Kasumi had been separated from Tir, and she hadn't witnessed the final  
confrontation with Barbarossa, but given the stories Valeria had told  
her of it, she felt that was no great loss.  
  
Shaking her head to clear it, Kasumi stopped reminiscing and  
pondered the problem at hand. She knew that Tir had to have been here-  
this was the Souleater's work, after all. The question was where he had  
gone next.  
  
Kasumi's head almost jerked up as she heard a shuffling behind  
her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a portly man in an  
Imperial uniform holding a rusty knife and attempting- rather poorly- to  
sneak up behind her. She waited until the man was almost upon her  
before whirling about and disarming him.  
  
A moment later she was holding the man's own weapon to his  
throat. "The man who did this," she said. "Tell me where he went if  
you want to live." "He... he said something about the fortress of  
Garan!" the man managed to squeal out after babbling incoherently for a  
moment.  
  
For a moment Kasumi considered killing the man- he was most  
likely another bandit, after all. But in the end she decided it was  
better to stick with her implied promise and lightly pushed the man  
aside. "If you've lied to me," Kasumi said pleasantly, "I will track  
you down and make you wish you hadn't."  
  
Her captive almost immediately began to babble about how  
truthful he was and how much she could trust him. Kasumi decided he  
probably was telling the truth, for he seemed far too frightened to lie.  
After making this decision, Kasumi wordlessly left the bandit hideout.  
It was already close to nightfall, but Garan was on the far side of the  
Gouran region from the Great Forest. If she hoped to get there before  
Tir, she would have little sleep that night.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Vice President Lepant sighed as he shuffled the latest reports  
around on the table. The much reduced Provisional Council was meeting,  
but Lepant found himself distracted. The future constantly preyed on  
his mind- would the Toran Republic live to replace the Scarlet Moon  
Empire, or would it wind up as little more than a footnote in the annals  
of history?  
  
Lepant looked up as the double doors at the front of the throne  
room opened, revealing Valeria, the dust of her quick journey still on  
her uniform. "Ah, General Haia. Timely as ever."  
  
Valeria slumped into her usual seat, nodding briefly at Joshua,  
who had returned from the Knighthood of the Dragon's Den while she was  
away. "Where's the Admiral?"  
  
"Sonya's gone to oversee the rebuilding of Shasarazade," Lepant  
said. "Do you have any news for us?"  
  
"Our forces near the Banner Pass have been alerted, but there's  
no sign that President McDohl is headed that way. I take it Rossman  
hasn't reported yet?"  
  
Warren shook his head. "Not yet. However, we have received a  
report from General Hazil, and your input would be greatly appreciated."  
  
Lepant nodded. "Yes." The report was passed down the table to  
Valeria, who quickly perused it. She rubbed her head softly. She had  
ridden with almost no rest to quickly reach the Banner front and return,  
and being presented with this immediately afterward was too much.  
  
"I see," she began. "This is very troubling news, if accurate.  
Does anyone have a map?" After one had been procured, Valeria studied  
it a moment before continuing. "According to the report, Jowston forces  
have managed to breach our defenses east of the northern checkpoint. If  
they manage to start another push before Hazil can close the gap or  
winter falls, there's any number of troublesome things they could try."  
  
"What's the worst case scenario?" Lepant asked.  
  
"Worst case? That Jowston manages seize Antei and Scarletica,  
forcing Hazil to abandon the northern checkpoint or risk being cut off.  
If they manage that, we could lose all of Kunan and Lorimar in the  
spring offensives." She did not need to state that that would be a  
death blow to the Republic.  
  
"What are our options?" Lepant asked.  
  
"We'll have to send reinforcements. Hazil can't close the  
breach and regarrison Scarletica at the same time."  
  
"But we don't have any reinforcements to send!" Warren protested  
with a grimace. "If we pull men off the Banner front, South Window will  
break through and attack Gregminster!"  
  
"Didn't I mention?" Valeria asked tiredly. "The first snows  
have fallen in Banner Pass."  
  
Joshua looked up. "Are you sure, Valeria?"  
  
"Of course I'm sure," she replied. "Jowston won't be able to  
move forces through the pass until spring."  
  
"But can we get reinforcements to Kunan fast enough to make a  
difference?" Lepant asked.  
  
Valeria's shoulders slumped. "I doubt it. It'll take weeks, if  
not a whole month, to march an army that far."  
  
The throne room doors opened again, and a young guardsman  
stepped inside. "Vice President, there is a Kun To here to see you."  
  
Lepant suddenly smiled. "Send the scoundrel in." When the old  
merchant was presented, Lepant rose to greet him. "You got here  
quickly."  
  
Kun To shrugged as Lepant lead him to a seat. "I was overseeing  
some deliveries to the Floating Fortress, and Admiral Schulen said you  
wanted to speak with me."  
  
"That's perfect," Lepant said, his smile widening as he sat.  
"We have a cargo for you so your ships don't have to make the return  
voyage empty."  
  
"What type of cargo?" Kun To asked.  
  
"Valeria?"  
  
Valeria did some quick calculations in her head. "Five thousand  
soldiers."  
  
Kun To frowned. "Soldiers? And I suppose you expect me to  
provide provisions for the voyage?"  
  
Valeria shook her head. "I think we can handle that ourselves."  
  
Kun To pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I already  
have a cargo lined up, one that will make me a great deal of money, not  
more promises that might never be fulfilled."  
  
"I wouldn't be so hasty, old friend," Warren said. "You  
wouldn't want to have to have all that cargo hand-searched for  
contraband, would you?"  
  
"You people wouldn't do that to a former comrade-in-arms, would  
you?" Kun To asked plaintively.  
  
"Not if he acted like one, Kun To," Joshua said with a laugh.  
  
Kun To sighed. "You're all out to ruin me." Then he chuckled  
and shrugged. "Ah, well. Once more for not-so-old time's sake, I  
suppose. But I expect the government to provide warehouse space for my  
cargo while I handle this."  
  
Lepant nodded. "We can manage that. Valeria, if you would  
begin the preparations?"  
  
Valeria nodded and rose, stifling a yawn. "Of course."  
  
Joshua rose as well. "I will return to the Dragon's Den. I  
believe I can spare a wing of dragons to help Kasim." When Lepant  
nodded, he turned and followed Valeria out of the room.  
  
Kun To began to rise, but was stopped when Warren spoke.  
"Before you leave, Kun To, I'd like to speak with you about grain  
shipments...."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Kasumi grimaced as she left the fortress of Garan. Far too many  
people had passed through recently for the guards there to remember  
whether anyone matching Tir's description had been among them. Once  
again without clues, Kasumi tried to figure out where Tir could be  
headed.  
  
Much of this region was sparsely settled, and there were any  
number of places to hide. It was possible that Tir might head to the  
hills south of Rikon and set up a hermitage like old Liukan, but if that  
was his plan she had little chance of finding him. The villages of the  
region held little of interest, and Tir would surely be stopped at the  
northern checkpoint or the entrance to the Dragon's Den. That left  
Lorimar or Soniere Prison.  
  
Both were in the same direction, so Kasumi set out without  
further delay. It took her a day and a half to reach the imposing  
fortress of Soniere. She was briefly surprised at the lack of guards,  
but then she remembered that the prison, once the final resting place  
for hundreds of rebels, had been left abandoned when the Empire had  
withdrawn from this region, the Liberation Army refusing to use such a  
painful symbol of the old regime. Kasumi quietly opened the gate, which  
was slightly ajar, and was gratified to note a trail of footprints in  
the dust leading into the prison, but not out. It seemed as though she  
had finally caught up with Tir.  
  
The silence was oppressive as she entered the fortress, taking a  
moment to light a torch, as the interior was dark as a tomb. Kasumi  
followed the trail of footprints deep into the fortress, past what had  
to have been the barracks for the Imperial garrison.  
  
Kasumi froze as she heard a low moan, only to drop to the ground  
just in time to avoid a forked bolt of lightning. She whirled about,  
faced with the sight of a slightly glowing, ethereal form that held a  
playing card almost as large as it was.  
  
She had heard tales of these spirits, called Nightmares. They  
had apparently been attracted by the misery of the prisoners in Soniere  
and infested the dungeons. The imperial garrison had done little to  
eradicate them, instead choosing to venture into the lower levels only  
in large groups. Since the fortress's abandonment, they must have  
escaped into the above-ground portions as well.  
  
Kasumi darted forward, striking out at the spirit with her free  
hand. With a foul screech the ethereal being dissolved, but a moment  
later another had appeared out of the darkness. Kasumi tensed,  
preparing to dodge whatever magic the second spirit would summon.  
  
Before it could, however, it vanished in a pillar of utter  
darkness. When the pillar dissipated, the spirit was simply... gone.  
Kasumi could somehow feel other Nightmares fleeing.  
  
Tir stepped through a door and into the room, lowering his right  
hand. He stared at Kasumi for a moment. "Why are you following me?"  
  
"Because you're needed back in Gregminster." Kasumi took a step  
forward, only to be matched by a backwards movement on Tir's part.  
  
"No I'm not," Tir said. "Lepant and Warren run everything  
anyways. They can certainly handle it without me."  
  
"But the people don't believe in Lepant and Warren, They  
believe in you, Tir. You're their hero, the one who liberated them from  
oppression."  
  
Tir growled, suddenly taking a step forward. "I never wanted to  
be a hero, you realize. I just wanted to help my friends... help Ted,  
and then Viktor. I wanted to keep a promise to a dying woman, who saw  
something in me I'm not sure was ever there. I never wanted to be a  
hero, though." Tir laughed suddenly. "I never even wanted to be a  
general like my father. I just wanted to live a quiet life and for  
everyone to leave me ALONE."  
  
As Tir spoke, darkness gathered in his right hand, and Kasumi  
shrank back. "Tir," she began, her voice trembling from fear.  
  
Tir shook, suddenly seeming to notice the power in his hand.  
"No," he said coldly. Slowly the darkness faded away, and Tir slumped  
as though he had just fought a terrible battle.  
  
Kasumi started to approach, but backed away when Tir raised his  
right arm. He slowly circled around her, until he stood between her and  
the exit. "Do not follow me again. It won't be safe for you," he said  
harshly, and turned to leave.  
  
Kasumi waited only until he was out of sight before heading for  
the exit herself.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Tir frowned as he stared at the small campfire he had allowed  
himself this night. The feeble heat it provided did little to ward off  
the chill autumn air, though Tir hardly noticed the stiff wind that  
caused the flames to flicker fitfully. There was no moon in the sky,  
yet Tir found that he could see as well as if it had been present and  
full.  
  
He slowly shook his head, staring at the silent rune on his  
palm. At times it seemed alive, with a will of its own, but for now it  
was quiescent. It was still amazing to him that such raw power was, for  
the most part, his to command. That so long as he held this Rune, he  
would never age.  
  
Tir clenched his fist, nails biting into his palm. The Cursed  
Rune was aptly named. He would never age, yes, but he would have to  
spend his immortal life alone. He could not afford to become close to  
anyone, lest the Rune consume them as it had so many others over the  
centuries. Not even....  
  
She had to have followed him, he knew. She was in love with  
him. Tir wondered what it would be like to love someone. He thought  
that, maybe, if things were different, he might have been able to love  
Kasumi. As things were though... she was an annoyance. An annoyance he  
was fond of, but irritating all the same.  
  
Tir's right hand twitched, and he looked up. After a moment, he  
sighed. "You can come out."  
  
Kasumi stepped out of the darkness. "How did you spot me?"  
  
"I didn't." Tir ignored Kasumi's questioning look. "I seem to  
recall asking you not to follow me."  
  
Kasumi took a seat across the small campfire from Tir. "Sorry,"  
she said quietly. "I still have to take you back to Gregminster."  
Tir glowered at the ninja for a moment. "And how do you expect to do  
that?"  
  
Kasumi dropped her gaze, and after a moment Tir sighed. "All  
right. You can take first watch. I'm going to get some sleep." When  
Kasumi nodded, Tir began to spread out his bedroll.  
  
Kasumi watched him for a moment, then spoke. "Will you please  
think about going back?"  
  
Tir looked up. "Tomorrow morning, we go our separate ways."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
When Kasumi awoke, Tir was gone, as she had expected. He  
couldn't have gone far though. Even if he had left as soon as Kasumi  
had fallen asleep, he could only have a few hours' lead. Kasumi  
gathered up her few possessions and set about determining where Tir had  
gone.  
  
It was surprisingly easy. Too easy, in fact. The trail leading  
north was obvious. It seemed as though Tir had put no effort into  
hiding his path. Frowning, Kasumi began to follow, keeping a careful  
eye on the trail.  
  
An hour later, her suspicions were fulfilled, as she spotted a  
much better hidden path curving away back to the south. The northward  
trail continued on, but Kasumi knew that it would begin to vanish not  
far ahead. Kasumi shook her head. Did Tir really think that she would  
fall for that old trick? She was a trained ninja, not some half-blind  
soldier.  
  
Kasumi was about to head back south when she heard thunder on  
the horizon. It was the wrong season for storms. Kasumi looked up, and  
her sharp eyesight quickly picked out a dust cloud not too far to the  
north. Cavalry, and moving at a quick pace.  
  
With a regretful look at Tir's path, Kasumi turned again and  
began to run to the north. From the size of the cloud, there were at  
least a thousand men north of her, and that many soldiers never meant  
good news.  
  
Her fears were confirmed when she got close enough to spot the  
banners. The flag of the Jowston Alliance was the largest, but there  
were South Window and Tinto banners scattered about the column. They  
had to have gotten past the northern defenses somehow.  
  
Kasumi quickly estimated their position and direction, and  
grimaced. They were headed for Antei. Kasumi glanced towards the south  
for a moment, before turning and beginning to race towards the village.  
If she was fast enough, she could reach it in time to bring warning and  
organize a defense.  
  
As she ran, the full implications of what was occuring ran  
through her head. She was no military expert, but she knew that if the  
City-states could get this many soldiers past General Hazil's defenses,  
it made the Republic's position on this front extremely weak. She did  
not want to consider what would happen if Jowston was able to cut  
Hazil's army off from the rest of Toran.  
  
Close to noon, Kasumi left the road and began to cut across the  
countryside, but she didn't allow her run to slow. The slightest delay  
would be disastrous.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Frederick Granmeyer reined in his horse as he reached the top of  
the hill overlooking the village of Antei. Already flames were  
beginning to rise as the Tinto heavy infantry began to force its way  
into the small town. Frederick frowned a moment, then rode forward a  
short distance.  
  
The South Window general slowly dismounted, then handed the  
reins over to a nearby soldier. Looking at the younger man was a  
painful reminder of his own age. Frederick's hair was now at least as  
much silver as black, and even the slightest exercise was accompanied by  
a multitude of aches and pains, the inevitable price of half a century  
of life.  
  
He quickly strode over to where the mayor of Tinto was observing  
the proceedings with a collection of officers, servants, and  
politicians. As he forced his way through the crowd, Frederick nodded  
respectfully to the first group, ignored the second, and wished he could  
ignore the third.  
  
"Do your scouts report anything?" Gustav asked him as he  
approached.  
  
Frederick shook his head as the two walked away from the crowd  
surrounding the mayor to discuss matters privately. "No, Mayor.  
There's no sign that Hazil knows we're already past him."  
  
"Good," Gustav grunted. "I'll be able to commit my reserves to  
the battle then."  
  
"Your reserves? There should be no need for that. We're facing  
a village garrison, not the Hundred Man Brigade!"  
  
Gustav shook his head. "Someone must have spotted us. The  
Torani had a few hours at least to prepare defenses, and we're going to  
take heavy casualties trying to get through them."  
  
"Better not to try then," Frederick replied. "We can't afford  
the time. No matter how well my cavalry screen us, Hazil won't be blind  
to us for long. Just by striking at all, we've accomplished our goal.  
Hazil will be forced to abandon the northern defenses, or he'll be  
spread so thin trying to garrison all of Kunan that we'll be able to  
take them."  
  
"Bah." Gustav frowned. "I won't let these scum think they've  
driven Gustav Pendragon of Tinto away!"  
  
Frederick scowled to match Gustav. "Your Excellency, I must  
insist that you-" The aging general trailed of as his eye caught a flash  
of color and movement. "Get down," he hissed, sword springing from its  
sheath.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Kasumi growled a curse under her breath as the other man's  
warning allowed the mayor of Tinto to avoid her first attack. She spun  
around, delivering a solid blow to the side of Gustav's head that sent  
the man tumbling to the ground. However, before she could finish him  
off, the man who had warned Gustav interposed himself between them, and  
it took all of Kasumi's reflexes to avoid being split in two by his  
first lightning-fast sword blow.  
  
Kasumi rolled to the left to avoid another blow, then raked out  
with her metal claws. Unfortunately, they did little more than scratch  
her opponent's well-cared for breastplate, and a third strike forced  
Kasumi to retreat.  
  
"You're a quick one," the man said as he too took a step back.  
"A Rokakku ninja?"  
  
Kasumi ignored the question, and fell into a wary defensive  
stance. This man was surprisingly good, considering his apparent age.  
Out of the corner of her eye, Kasumi noted a group of Jowston soldiers  
approaching, and regretfully decided that her mission was a failure. A  
pity, but even if the mayor of Tinto lived, she had managed to warn the  
Antei garrison of the attack in time.  
  
Kasumi tensed to spring back, keeping a careful eye on her  
opponent. The man seemed amused, of all things! Kasumi risked a glance  
backward to confirm the position of the approaching soldiers, then  
pulled a small smoke bomb from her tunic and hurled it to the ground.  
  
Kasumi closed her eyes to protect them from the acrid fumes, and  
began to quietly creep away. She smiled tightly as she heard curses  
from the nearby soldiers, easing her attempt to slip past them. A few  
moments later, she emerged from the smoke cloud, and her smile widened  
as she realized that she had a clear path back to Antei.  
  
"Leaving so soon, ninja?" Kasumi's smile faltered as she turned  
to see her opponent striding unconcerned from the still billowing smoke  
cloud, sword ready. The man smiled and continued, "We can't have that,  
can we?"  
  
After weighing her options, Kasumi turned and broke into a run.  
The man was simply too good for her to be confident of taking him down  
before the other soldiers emerged from the smoke cloud. However, she  
was sure she could outrun him, particularly as he was burdened by his  
heavy armor.  
  
Behind her the man barked a harsh laugh, followed by several  
even harsher syllables. Kasumi instantly began to roll to the side, but  
she wasn't fast enough. With a hideous crack, Kasumi felt a bolt of  
lightning hit her from behind, and she was unable to bite back the  
primal scream that came unbidden from her throat as it spent its power  
on her flesh.  
  
Kasumi fell to the ground, limbs still twitching from the shock,  
and she was unable to do more than moan in protest as her opponent  
approached and expertly disarmed her, then bound her arms and legs.  
  
"I'm sure you have some more tricks up your sleeve, but that  
should hold you for the moment."  
  
A Jowston soldier approached and bowed to the man. "General  
Granmeyer, Lord Pendragon is still unconscious. What are your orders,  
sir?"  
  
The general turned and looked at the town for a moment. "Sound  
the retreat. We've accomplished our goal for today. And assign a  
detail to guard the prisoner. Make sure they search her thoroughly for  
hidden weapons."  
  
The soldier saluted. "Yes, sir."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Tir stared up at the imposing walls of Fort Lorimar, which  
guarded the road into the province of the same name. This fortress,  
traditionally the site for traitors' executions, rivaled even Soniere  
Prison in the dread which its name inspired. However, unlike Soniere,  
Lorimar served a strategic purpose, and so was still garrisoned by the  
Toran Republic.  
  
It had taken Tir quite a while to reach the fortress, as he had  
spent several days laying false trails to distract the pursuer he was  
sure he had. It surprised him that he had not seen her since he had  
snuck out of their shared camp. He had thought Kasumi was a good enough  
tracker to see past his deceptions. Surely she hadn't actually gone  
back to Gregminster?  
  
However, a more pressing question soon came to him. It was well  
past dawn, yet the gates of Lorimar remained closed. Admittedly, there  
was not exactly a large crowd seeking passage, for he was the only one,  
but the fortress still should have opened its gates as soon as the sun  
rose. With a sigh, Tir decided that the only way to find out why they  
hadn't done so was to ask.  
  
As Tir approached the gates, one of the gate guards spoke. "I'm  
afraid you can't pass. The fortress of Lorimar is closed until further  
notice."  
  
"Why?" Tir asked.  
  
"Haven't you heard?" When Tir shook his head, the guard  
continued. "Jowston attacked Antei three days ago. I hear they even  
captured one of the Provisional Council members. Until we're certain  
there's no further threat, the fortress is closed to all travelers."  
  
"One of the Provisional Council? Who?" Tir asked, worried.  
  
The guard shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
Tir was sure he knew the answer, though. If it had been General  
Hazil, the soldier would surely have known. There was only one other  
council member in Kunan....  
  
Tir turned and headed north.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Author's Random Ramblings  
  
1) Well Part 2 took far far longer than I expected, but... that's the  
life of a fanfic writer, I suppose. One more part left. The only  
question is whether I'll finish Shades of Gray or this first.  
  
2) Thanks to Ryan Hupp for his thorough, if quite slow, prereading  
efforts. Without his aid, this fic would be far poorer.  
  
3) Frederick Granmeyer is not the same Granmeyer who is South Window's  
mayor and appears in Suikoden II. Frederick is his uncle.  
  
4) C&C is, of course, greatly desired and appreciated. 


	3. Part 3: Thorn

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn   
A Genso Suikoden Fanfic   
By: Aaron Nowack  
  
Part 3: Thorn  
  
"The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked  
together."  
- Saadi  
  
***********************************************************************  
Disclaimer: The Genso Suikoden game series is made and owned by Konami.  
As I am neither a corporation nor Japanese, that would not be me. The  
title of this fic is stolen from the title of a fantasy novel series by  
Tad Williams, who is also not me. This fic brought to you by a random  
cat. Sonya.  
***********************************************************************  
  
"My, my, if it isn't President McDohl! What brings you here all  
alone?"  
  
Tir looked up to see another man walking down the road beside  
him. How could he have snuck on him? In any case, it took Tir a moment  
to place the man's face. Leon Silverburg. Tir couldn't really say he  
knew the man who had haunted the ruins of Kalekka: he had spent most of  
his brief time with the Liberation Army closeted with his nephew Mathiu,  
and had vanished shortly after the fall of Gregminster.  
  
Tir stared suspiscously at the strategist for a moment. "What  
business of it is yours?"  
  
Leon laughed. "None, really. I find myself having the need to  
travel north, and I was hoping I could prevail upon you to convince  
General Hazil to let me through the northern defenses. Though I must  
admit I am curious as to what the President of the Toran Republic is  
doing walking through the middle of a war zone all alone."  
  
Tir grunted. "You can convince General Hazil yourself."  
  
"Most likely," Leon said with a nod. "Unfortunately, he is  
ensconsed in that fortress," he continued, gesturing towards the  
defenses on the northern horizon, "and the guards seem unwilling to  
believe that I am the famed Leon Silverburg, so I find myself unable to  
gain admittance to see the General. Perhaps you could aid me?"  
  
Tir shrugged, and began to walk toward the fort. After a  
moment, Leon followed, and Tir thought he could hear the strategist  
muttering a few mild profanities under his breath. It took the two most  
of an hour to reach the fortress gates. The guards at first did not  
believe that Tir was who he claimed he was, but when he showed them the  
Souleater, they came around quite quickly. Less than another quarter of  
an hour later, the two were ushered into Hazil's war room, where the  
general was meeting with his advisors.  
  
The general rose to meet them. "President McDohl, it is an...  
unexpected pleasure." When he caught sight of Tir's companion, his face  
hardened. "Silverburg," he said levelly.  
  
"General Hazil," Leon replied, with a nod and a slight smile.  
  
Hazil turned back to Tir. "What can I do for you, President  
McDohl?"  
  
Tir walked over to the table in the center of the room, on which  
a number of well-worn maps were strewn. "Has Kasumi been captured?"  
  
"She has." A previously unnoticed figure detached itself from  
one of the walls, and Tir quickly recognized the ninja Fuma.  
  
Hazil hesitated before speaking. "She was taken defending Antei  
from a raid led by General Granmeyer, your excellency."  
  
"Where is she being held?"  
  
"We believe she has been taken to Moravia Castle," answered one  
of Hazil's advisors.  
  
Tir grunted, and turned to leave. "You can't possibly be  
thinking of going there alone?" Hazil exclaimed. "President McDohl, I  
can't possibly let you put yourself in such danger."  
  
Tir looked back over his shoulder. "She was captured because  
she was looking for me. I will rescue her."  
  
"President McDohl, I would like to see her freed as much as the  
next man, but the risks are simply too great. The entire Jowston army  
is between us and Moravia Castle!"  
  
Leon spoke. "But what if the benifits outweighed the risks?"  
  
Hazil stared suspisciously at the strategist. "Explain."  
  
"You said General Frederick Granmeyer was leading the South  
Window contingent here?"  
  
Hazil nodded.  
  
"That man is a tactician of no small repute, almost a genius,  
but more importantly he's also the only South Window leader with any  
taste for military adventures. If he were dead, Mayor Granmeyer would  
pull South Window out of the war at the first sign of trouble."  
  
Hazil frowned. "I think I see where you are going with this,  
and I don't like it."  
  
Leon continued as though the general had not spoken. "You  
should know, General Hazil, that a small band should be able to easily  
infiltrate Moravia. That band could just as easily assassinate  
Granmeyer while rescuing the ninja." The strategist paused. "The  
Jowston forces will be settling in for the winter. With Granmeyer dead,  
they will also be demoralized. If you launched an assault, you would  
take them unprepared, and push them back to Moravia Castle, and maybe  
even retake some of the lesser fortifications north of here."  
  
One of Hazil's advisors nodded. "It could work, General."  
  
Hazil shook his head. "We don't have enough men. If I had a  
few thousand more I might consider it, but we have too few troops to  
waste on such a scheme." He paused. "President McDohl, I must ask that  
you stay here until transport can be arranged to Gregminster. It is too  
dangerous for you to be wandering alone."  
  
"And what of me?" Leon asked.  
  
Hazil grunted. "You can do as you wish, Silverburg."  
  
"May I ask for permission to head north, then?"  
  
Hazil paused, then sighed. "If that is truly your desire, then  
go."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Kasumi stopped as she reached one wall of her small, unadorned  
cell. She whirled about, then began to count the paces to the opposite  
side. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. This ceaseless pacing was  
mindnumbing, which was the point. It took her mind off of the gnawing  
in her stomach that reminded her that it had been far too long since she  
had eaten anything.  
  
Her captors had given her plenty of water, but no food. That  
they withheld until such time as she chose to cooperate and answer their  
questions. She was lucky that they hadn't chosen a more violent means  
of persuasion, but her position on the Provisional Council made them  
think her far more important than she was. Therefore, they wanted to  
keep her unmarked for any eventual ransom or prisoner exchange.  
  
Likewise, she thought that they would give in and feed her if  
she truly began to starve. Therefore, she was determined to do just  
that. She just hadn't imagined that it would be quite this hard. She  
had been taught any number of techniques for resisting pain, but they  
availed her only slightly against her hunger.  
  
Kasumi's eyes darted to the hallway outside almost before the  
sound of footsteps reached her. Over the past week, she had begun to  
look forward to these sessions, as the only event of any interest to  
occur to her since her imprisonment. As the footsteps drew nearer, she  
sat back against the wall farthest from the cell doors.  
  
A few moments later the man who had captured her, who she now  
knew to be General Frederick Granmeyer, came into her field of vision,  
carrying a tray of meat and bread. He settled into a chair just outside  
her cell door, then popped a slice of meat into his mouth and began to  
chew loudly. Kasumi merely patiently watched and waited.  
  
When Frederick swallowed, he smiled and looked at Kasumi for the  
first time. "And how is my favorite ninja doing today, hmm?" She  
didn't answer, and Frederick sighed. "Still not talkative, eh? It  
would be much easier if you would cooperate, you know."  
  
Kasumi remained silent, and the general slowly shook his head.  
"You realize, ninja, that Mayor Pendragon is most displeased with you.  
He insists that if you won't talk, we send you to the torture chambers,  
and let the consequences be damned. I won't be able to protect you much  
longer."  
  
Kasumi shifted slightly. The mayor of Tinto would have to be  
unreasonably angry to consider physical torture. The same concerns and  
customs that were protecting her, after all, were what would protect him  
if he were captured. Most likely, Frederick was simply trying to trick  
her into talking.  
  
Frederick shook his head. "You have a strong will, girl. But  
then that's to be expected from a ninja, I suppose. Your people are  
certainly giving our forces in Banner enough trouble." He reached for a  
piece of bread and quickly broke it in two. He rose, eating one of the  
halves of bread as he walked forward to the cell door.  
  
"Here," he said, offering the remaining piece to Kasumi through  
the bars.  
  
Kasumi rose, then darted forward and snatched the bread almost  
faster than Frederick could see. She then quickly retreated out of the  
mans reach, suspisciously eyeing the bread.  
  
"Go ahead," Frederick said with a sigh. "It can't be poisoned.  
I just ate half of the slice myself."  
  
After a moment, Kasumi began to eat, and he returned to his  
seat, watching her with an overly interested eye. When she was done, he  
spoke again. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me the location  
of Rokakku now? Or maybe Kasim's patrol schedules?"  
  
When Kasumi didn't answer, he chuckled. "I did not expect so.  
After all, it takes more than half a slice of bread to buy a ninja's  
loyalty. Isn't that right?" The last was dircted towards someone  
outside of Kasumi's vision.  
  
"I could not say. I know only my own price, not hers." Kasumi  
stifled a surprised gasp. She recognized that voice.  
  
"I suppose," Frederick said. "How much did I pay you again,  
Kage?"  
  
Though she couldn't see him, Kasumi could almost feel the other  
ninja shrug. "40,000 potch, to serve as your bodyguard until the end of  
the war."  
  
"Let's see," Frederick began. "That's somewhere around 50,000  
bits, I think. Or it was. Has the Toran Republic started minting coins  
yet?"  
  
Kasumi couldn't have answered that question if she'd wanted to.  
  
Frederick shrugged, then turned to Kasumi. "I don't suppose I  
could buy your loyalty with coinage, no?" Frederick paused. "Ah well.  
That's enough for today, I suppose. Would you like anything to eat,  
Kage?"  
  
"No."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Lepant sighed as he watched the rest of the much-lessened  
Provisional Council file out of the room. It had been another fruitless  
session of arguing and worrying, with no real progress made on any  
issue. The only good news was that a grain shipment had finally reached  
the city, holding off for a time the impending mass starvation. But  
not for long enough, and the Council had neither the soldiers nor the  
brutality to put down the riots that would break out if food ran out.  
  
It might have been a mistake to use Gregminster as the capital  
of the new republic. It was an important symbolic choice, a sign that  
the Toran Republic chose to be the heir to the Scarlet Moon Empire, a  
move that helped to prevent the Empire's former territories from  
shattering into a dozen weak, feuding nations. Yet with these benifits  
came risks. The population of Gregminster was hostile to the new  
regime, and it would take only the slightest spark to cause them to rise  
up in rebellion. The city was perilously close to the front lines with  
Jowston, and the remnants of the former Imperial army ravaged most of  
the countryside.  
  
With winter coming, Lepant hoped they were in for a few months  
of quiet. Jowston couldn't possibly mount a new offensive on this front  
with the Banner Pass under feet of snow, and the bandits were  
hibernating in their lairs. If more soldiers were available, Lepant  
would order an effort to wipe out the bandits while Jowston was quiet,  
for if someone managed to regather those scattered bands into a  
functioning army it would be an utter disaster, and the longer they were  
allowed to exist the more that risk increased.  
  
Yet there were no soldiers to be had. A bare skeleton force  
patrolled Gregminster, and a few thousad guarded the entrance to the  
Banner Pass. The rest were with Valeria on the other side of the  
republic. At this thought, Lepant sighed. By the time he had any news  
of the effort to stabilize that front, it would all be over. It was  
frustrating, as it might very well be there that the fate of the Toran  
Republic was decided.  
  
Damn Jowston anyways. They were nothing but a bunch of jackals  
who could only put aside their feuds to pounce on a weaker neighbor.  
They had attacked the Scarlet Moon Empire both during and after the  
Succession War, seeking to grab whatever land they could. To the north  
their neighbor Highland survived only through near complete  
militarisation and a devil's pact with Harmonia. And one could not  
forget their long and bloody history with the Grasslands tribes.  
  
Lepant slowly rose from his seat. These musings accomplished  
nothing. Not that anything he could do would accomplish much now. It  
was all in other people's hands, those of the generals and soldiers of  
the Toran Republic. He could do nothing but wait, hope, and pray.  
  
And the thought was perhaps what galled him the most.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Tir stared out over the balcony at the confusion that engulfed  
the courtyard below. It was filled with a teeming mass of men and  
horses, moving about in seemingly random fashion, yet he knew that in  
those movements was a pattern that would by the end of the day see the  
five thousand new arrivals properly settled in, both in the fortress and  
the surrounding camps.  
  
When the cloud of dust had been spotted on the horizon, all had  
feared the worst: Jowston forces come to invest the fortress and starve  
them all out. It would have been an audacious move, with winter already  
arriving, but it had a far too great a chance of success for comfort.  
The relief when the Torani banners had been spotted had been palpable.  
Tir had heard that it was Valeria who led the reinforcements, but he had  
not yet seen her. She was with General Hazil now, discusing whether or  
not to implement Leon's plan for a counter-offensive.  
  
The strategist himself was standing slightly behind Tir, an  
irritatingly knowing half-smirk on his face. Leon had found reason  
after reason to delay his departure north, and when Tir had pressed him  
he had simply commented that he expected matters to become interesting  
shortly, and he wished to observe. Tir now thought that Leon had  
somehow known or suspected that Valeria was on her way.  
  
Tir sighed, and turned away from the balcony's railing, only to  
turn back only a few seconds later as a new commotion engulfed the  
courtyard. He didn't see anything until he thought to look up, and saw  
five dragons flying low overhead, and coming back around for a landing.  
For all the poeple that filled it, the courtyard cleared surprisingly  
quickly, and the dragons were able to descend with only a few moments  
waiting.  
  
One red dragon flew over by the balcony and began to hover mere  
feet away from Tir. "I thought I recognized you, President McDohl," the  
dragon's rider said as she removed the goggles she wore in flight.  
  
Tir nodded to Milia. He tried to remember when he had last seen  
the Dragon Knights' second in command. He thought it might have even  
been before the fall of Gregminster - he couldn't recall seeing her at  
the victory banquet or his inauguration.  
  
"What are you doing here, anyways? I heard you were missing,"  
Milia said, shouting to be heard over the beating of her dragon's wings.  
Tir merely shrugged, and he saw her laugh, though the sound was lost.  
"You can answer me once I'm on the ground!" With that, the red dragon  
began to descend once again, and Milia had soon dismounted and left the  
courtyard.  
  
Tir sighed and turned again to leave, noticing that Leon had  
already vanished. He supposed it was tiem to go meet with Kasim and  
Valeria. There was a lot of work to be done.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Kasumi looked up at the sound of footsteps. Since her last...  
session with General Granmeyer, her captors had begun to feed her  
somewhat regularly, if rather poorly. She could already feel strength  
returning to her limbs, and with this she was able to focus her mind on  
escape.  
  
One of the guards - it was almost always a different one every  
day - appeared in her limited field of vision bearing a small tray. He  
walked up to the cell door and gestured for Kasumi to back up. She  
resisted the urge to smile as he entered the cell bearing a small loaf  
of bread and bowl of watery soup from the tray.  
  
Once the guard had placed the tray on the floor and began to  
back up, Kasumi struck, grabbing the bowl and hurling it into the  
guard's face with surprising force. As he began to stumble back, Kasumi  
moved, leaping forward and grabbing the guard's sword from its sheath.  
She whirled the blade around with impossible swiftness before stabbing  
the guard in the gut, causing him to fall with a low gurgle.  
  
Kasumi smiled, then walked through the still open cell door.  
Sword in hand, she sprinted down the prison hallway past the row of  
empty cells. She threw the heavy wooden door that awaited her aside,  
bursting into a guard room.  
  
Three more soldiers were there, playing cards. They rose,  
swords half drawn out of their sheaths. Kasumi attacked the closest one  
before he could fully rise, sword stabbing into his back. Mouth still  
open in surprise, the guard collapsed onto the table as Kasumi withdrew  
the blade, scattering the cards. As the other two began to circle  
around to get at her, she leapt up on to the table, blocking a clumsy  
attack from one of them. She then leapt again, landing near the far  
door, and she was through it before the guards could react.  
  
A few moments later she heard alarm bells beginning to sound  
behind her. She knew she wouldn't be able to force her way through a  
whole castle of soldiers, but she was hoping that they didn't know the  
layout as well as she did. The same route she had used to break into  
the castle earlier would serve to get herself out, she hoped.  
  
With this thought in mind, she slipped through the closest  
window. Having no sheath for her stolen sword and needing both hands  
free, she was forced to abandon her sword, which she dropped to the  
cobblestones far below. This done, she began to painstakingly make her  
away across and down the castle's face, often having to pause beside a  
window while guards searched the room it opened into.  
  
Most of an hour later she gratefully dropped down onto a balcony  
near the ground. She was now on the route she was more familiar with.  
Near the end of it, actually. From where she was she ought to be able  
to sneak her way out of the castle, or at least the main keep, rather  
easily, particularly with most of the search effort focused on the upper  
levels. After resting for a moment, she prepared to leap down to the  
courtyard below.  
  
Then she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She quickly ducked  
under the hand, and whirled about to see the expressionless, masked face  
of Kage. She struck with a series of fast punches, but the other ninja  
easily blocked them. A wave of weakness ran through her, and she  
cursed. She'd already over-exerted herself.  
  
A moment later Kage struck, and she fell into unconsciousness.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Hold on tight!"  
  
Tir had thought that it was hard to hold a conversation over the  
sound of dragon wings when the dragon was hovering. However, he had  
forgotten how loud it was once the dragon really got airborne, and the  
chill, roaring wind didn't help matters either. He couldn't see  
anything in front of him but Milia's armored form, but to the sides he  
could see the other four dragons flying in close formation.  
  
All the dragons carried an additional passenger besides their  
usual rider. Valeria and Fuma were riding on two of them. On the other  
two were two soldeirs Tir didn't know, but Valeria had assured him they  
were both excellent fighters during the meeting where they had hashed  
out this plan. At the thought Tir felt the rune on his right hand pulse  
in anticipation. There would be killing soon.  
  
The plan was simple in its audacity. Since the prisons of  
Moravia Castle were near the top, why waste time going through the  
bottom layers when you had access to dragons? They were simply going to  
fly north, swoop down on the castle, rescue Kasumi, and kill General  
Granmeyer. At the same time, General Hazil would be preparing for the  
counteroffensive, set to begin as soon as the rescue party returned.  
  
Tir made the mistake of looking down as the dragon continued to  
spiral upward. Spread out below him was the entire line of  
fortifications, and the inumerable camps that surrounded them. It made  
him a little guilty when he thought of how he had abandoned his  
responsibilities by fleeing Gregminster. All these soldiers had chosen  
to fight for him. They fought for the Republic, yes, but he was in many  
was the embodiment of the Toran Republic, a nation that still existed  
more on paper than in reality.  
  
The dragons stopped climbing and began to fight their way north  
against the stiff wind. Within moments Tir found himself chilled beyond  
anything he could remember, even with the thick leather jacket Milia had  
provided him. Almost as quickly though, the Souleater pulsed again and  
the cold ceased to bother him. He knew it was there, but it did not  
touch him in any way.  
  
The dragons sped over the countryside, and Tir noticed how  
desolate it looked. He hadn't noticed during his brief expedition to  
the region before Jowston had captured it, but there were hardly any  
signs of habitation here, save for the empty roads and occasional half-  
ruined keeps. Jowston and the Empire had fought over this area so many  
times, yet from up here it didn't seem worth the blood that had been  
spilt over it.  
  
Yet Tir knew why this area was so important. It sat astride one  
of the only two safe routes from Jowston to the Toran area, and the  
easier of the two. Banner Pass, the other, was closed by snow half the  
year, while the rest of the border was closed by the impassable  
Badlands, remnants of an ancient wizards' duel. Whoever held Moravia  
Castle would gain back in trade taxes a thousand times the cost of the  
war when peace came, and would be able to threaten the other nation's  
heartland when war ressumed.  
  
As the hours passed, Tir fell into a half-trance. The miles  
sped by beneath him, but the only time he noticed was when the flight of  
dragons had to make a detour to avoid being spotted by a column of  
Jowston troops heading south to the front. As they traveled, the sun  
slowly moved in its great arc overhead.  
  
When they reached Moravia Castle, it was already beginning to  
sink beneath the western horizon.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Dragons!" The alarms began to sound from Moravia Castle's  
watchtowers as soon as the winged beasts were spotted on the southern  
horizon. Seige engines put in place for just this purpose were readied,  
and as the dragons swept in, they fired. Massive stones were flung  
through the air like pebbles, and mighty ballistas tracked the dragons  
and fired.  
  
However, the scaled monsters were too manueverable to be hit by  
such attacks, though they were forced to slow as they swerved to avoid  
the barrage. As the catapult and ballista crews raced to reload their  
weapons, archers rose from concealment behind the castle battlements.  
  
"Fire!" The shout came from a half-dozen different voices, and  
as one the archer squads released a hail of arrows. The lead dragon let  
loose with a burst of flame, stopping the arrows even as it continued to  
race for the main keep. Other dragons dove or rose with surprising  
speed, dodging the worst of the volley. The few arrows that hit bounced  
harmlessly off the dragons' thick scales.  
  
"Draw... Fire!" The second volley was fired at a steep angle,  
as the dragons were already nearly overhead. Once again, their flame  
and armor served them well as protection, but a cheer went up as one  
screeched and swerved wildly, and arrow sticking out of its wing. The  
cheer stoped as the dragon steadied itself just before crashing into a  
small tower, and washed the tower's top with its flame. The men manning  
the catapult atop the tower screamed as they burned, but a few moments  
later were silent.  
  
The dragon itself beat its wings and began to rise again, its  
riders unthrown. It soon rejoined its brethren, circling the main keep,  
almost daring the defenders to attack. They could not answer the  
challenge, for fear of damaging their own castle.  
  
The alarm bells were still pointlessly ringing as a dragon  
swooped near the castle's bell tower, the highest. A moment later the  
bells had been silenced in a burst of flame. Another dragon came in to  
attack the walls, and the men guarding that stretch dropped their bows  
and ran for cover, panicking by the oncoming nightmare. A few were too  
slow, and died screaming.  
  
The dragons continued these hit and run attacks for some time,  
and nobody noticed that each dragon had left behind a passenger on one  
of them.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Tir grunted as he hit the stone blacony, rolling to a halt. A  
distant part of his mind told him that a number of large bruises were  
already forming, but for the moment the pain was nothing but a minor  
irritant. He galnced around at the other four people who had recieved a  
similar landing as Milia's dragon flew away. "Is everybody all right?"  
he asked distractadly as he rose, his mind already working on recalling  
what he could of Moravia's layout.  
  
Everyone nodded except for one of the two soldiers he didn't  
know. "I hit my arm something bad," the soldier said, wincing as he  
fingered it. "It might be broken."  
  
"Can you keep up?" Tir asked, absentmindly scratching his right  
palm. After a moment, the soldier nodded in reply, and Tir continued.  
"Let's get moving, then."  
  
The balcony doors were quickly found to be locked, but Tir  
knocked the heavy wooden doors down with one blow from his staff.  
Valeria whistled appreciatively. "I didn't know you were that strong,  
Tir," she said.  
  
Tir paused and frowned a moment. He wasn't that strong. Or he  
hadn't been until recently. Souleater pulsed briefly, and he set aside  
the thought for later consideration. "Let's get moving," he repeated,  
and followed his own advice.  
  
The room they first entered was fortunately empty, and the  
infiltrators didn't encounter anyone as they raced the short distance to  
the castle's prison. This luck ran out as they reached the guardroom  
immediately outside the hall of cells, where eight ready soldiers waited  
for them.  
  
Fuma moved incredible speed, and one guard dropped, clutching  
his throat. Tir was the only one to see the shuriken the ninja had  
thrown. Before anyone else could move, he raised his right hand.  
Souleater's power flowed out with unrestrained eagerness, hungrily  
reaching for the enemy. There was darkness, a strange feeling of...  
twisting, then screams, and then... silence.  
  
When the darkness lifted the enemy guards were dead, fallen  
where they had stood moments before. Tir knew that the corpses were  
already cold, and that there was no mark on the bodies. Behind him, he  
heard a nervous gulp from one of the two soldiers... he still didn't  
know their names.  
  
Tir wordlessly opened the next door, and stepped into where he  
knew Kasumi would be. Two people stood near a cell on the far end of  
the hall, and he recognized both of them. One of them was Kage, a fact  
that caused Tir some small surprise. The other he recognized only from  
descriptions as General Granmeyer.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Frederick's eyes rose and locked with the boy's. This could  
only be the young McDohl he had heard so much about over the past few  
years. The boy looked closer to fourteen than than the eighteen he had  
to be. Could the old rumors that the Liberation Army's leader wielded a  
True Rune be true?  
  
Frederick slowly drew his sword, nodding to Kage. The ninja  
leapt forward past McDohl, and one of the Torani soldiers dropped to  
ground under a flurry of blows. Frederick saw a redheaded woman fly at  
the ninja with sword outstretched before his attention returned to the  
boy in front of him.  
  
"You are General Granmeyer?" the boy asked, his pale eyes cold.  
  
Frederick simply nodded. "You would be McDohl?" His answer too  
was a nod. "Surprising that your handlers let you come here."  
  
McDohl did not answer, instead shifting his staff to his left  
hand before slightly raising his right. A chill settled into  
Frederick's bones, and for a moment the world dimmed and spun around  
him. Frederick shook his head, and it cleared. He advanced on McDohl.  
"Whatever trick that was won't save you, boy."  
  
McDohl frowned, his staff readying and leaping into place to  
block Frederick's first, swift sword blow. He counterattacked, expertly  
using his quarterstaff's far longer reach to force Frederick back.  
  
"You're good for a boy," he commented as he danced back,  
avoiding a low sweep. "Who trained you?"  
  
McDohl grunted, but did not answer, instead pressing his attack.  
Frederick retreated, dodging most of the strikes and blocking a few.  
"Not very talkative, are you?" he asked.  
  
Behind him he heard a door swing open, and he risked a quick  
glance backward to see a man - another Rokkaku ninja, he guessed -  
helping Kasumi from the cell. "Damn it all," he muttered as he saw Kage  
being forced against a wall by the woman and the other Torani soldier  
before refocusing on his duel.  
  
Frederick raised his left hand, a harsh syllable springing from  
his lips almost unbidden. Lightning arced from his mailed hand, leaping  
at McDohl, who raised his staff as though to block the bolt. This  
didn't avail the boy, and Frederick felt no small satisfaction at the  
pained screech that forced its way out of McDohl's mouth.  
  
Yet there was no time to gloat. Frederick spun about and  
charged the two ninja behind him. The red-clothed ninja made as if to  
protect Kasumi, but Frederick forced him out of his way without much  
effort. Before Kasumi could react, he had grabbed her and his blade was  
across her throat.  
  
Frederick slowly turned around, bringing himself and Kasumi  
around to face McDohl, who by this point had recovered from the shock of  
Frederick's magical assault. Behind him, Frederick could see that Kage  
was down, dead or unconscious. "If anyone moves, the girl dies,"  
Frederick said coldly.  
  
Almost immediately all movement stopped, and Frederick smiled.  
To his side he could hear the other ninja stirring, but he did not rise.  
Kasumi remained still, almost seeming paralyzed. Frederick spoke again.  
"All of you. Drop your weapons." After a moment, McDohl complied, his  
staff hitting the ground with a loud clatter. The other Torani followed  
suit.  
  
Frederick began to ponder his next move, but the choice was  
taken from him as Kasumi moved with surprising swiftness, somehow  
slipping out of his grasp faster than he could see. A curse escaped his  
lips as he struck out with his sword at the fleeing ninja. Kasumi tried  
to duck under the strike, but was too slow.  
  
Even as she fell, the Torani leapt into action. The other ninja  
sprung up, heading straight for Frederick. A wild sword blow forced the  
ninja back, but Frederick knew that he could not prevail against so many  
skilled foes for long. His quick mind began to race through his  
options, but it was unable to find an acceptable solution.  
  
The Torani woman was the next to reach him, and Frederick soon  
found himself hard pressed. Whoever she was, she was an excellent  
swordswoman, one of the best he'd fought in a long time. Frederick  
retreated, trying to buy himself some breathing room, but the woman  
pressed her attack.  
  
A moment later, Frederick's tired sword arm was unable to  
manuever his blade in time to force aside one of the woman's strikes,  
and her sword scored a narrow line of fire down his side. At that  
moment, he knew he was about to die.  
  
"Valeria." The voice was McDohl's. "He's mine." He rose from  
where he had been kneeling by the fallen Kasumi's side.  
  
The woman facing Frederick slowly backed away, though she kept  
her sword ready. Frederick caught his breath, watching carefully as  
McDohl approached. His eyes darted to where McDohl's staff lay,  
abandoned, on the floor. "You don't think you can defeat me without a  
weapon, boy?"  
  
McDohl's face was cold, and he raised his right hand. "Die."  
It was a simple command, with no emotion.  
  
Frederick blinked, and a moment later his world ended in  
darkness.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
It was almost a month after the raid on Moravia Castle. Winter  
had fallen on the northern lands with full force. The army of the Toran  
Republic had struck north with a force almost as strong. Leon  
Silverburg's words had proven true, and the Jowston forces had been  
driven back with surprising ease. Moravia Castle had been retaken in  
the past week, and with that fall the fighting had for the most part  
ended.  
  
South Window's forces were already withdrawing, and reports from  
Gregminster said an emissary had arrived to sue for peace. Tinto showed  
no signs of following suit, but they could not muster the forces to  
threaten the Republic alone, just as Toran could not risk an invasion of  
Tinto. In fact, the war was already over, but it would be some time  
before the diplomats and politicians caught up with the soldiers.  
  
In a small courtyard nestled between the northern checkpoint's  
main keep and the infirmary, Kasumi was slowly running through her  
excercises, occasionally wincing slightly as she pulled at the  
not-quite-healed wound on her back. She was fortunate: had the blow  
landed slightly differently, she might have died or been paralyzed for  
life. Even so, it was only recently that she had been able to leave her  
bed, and it would be a while still before she was fully healed.  
However, she would heal, and for that she was grateful. Even in her few  
years, she had seen enough of death to know not to take her own life for  
granted.  
  
Once the wound was fully healed, she was to return to  
Gregminster. She would rather have gone to Rokkaku, now free of the  
Jowston threat, to help with the rebuilding, which was in full swing,  
but her duty was in the capital. Fuma had told her on his last visit  
that in a few months she would not be able to tell that Rokkaku had ever  
been destroyed.  
  
Somehow she doubted it. The images of General McDohl's sudden  
assault were etched firmly into her memory, however much she wished they  
might fade. She could still recall the heat of the flames, the panic  
that had fallen on the village as the cavalry had rode through it,  
striking down anyone in their path. She could remember her brother's  
scream as he had been impaled on a lance... and she could remember the  
feel of that soldier's blood on her hands, the first man she had killed,  
but not by far the last.  
  
She had never told Tir about that, she realized. She had never  
mentioned the guilty joy she had felt when she had seen his father fall.  
A part of her suspected she never would. There was little point, after  
all. Sometimes the past was best left buried. Buried with the dead.  
  
Kasumi heard footsteps behind her, and she turned around to see  
Tir approaching, staff in hand. She was not surprised. His visits were  
not uncommon, though they were not nearly as frequent as she might have  
liked. She nodded to him in greeting.  
  
Tir returned the gesture, and stood silently for a moment.  
Moments before Kasumi would have decided to speak, he said, "I will  
leave tomorrow."  
  
After another moment, Kasumi nodded. She had suspected that he  
had been planning to leave for the past week, but was only waiting to be  
sure that she would recover fully. "What will you tell Vice President  
Lepant? And General Hazil?"  
  
Tir grimaced. "As little as possible. The Republic is strong  
now. With the recent victories, it can weather my disappearance."  
  
"I suppose." Kasumi was silent a moment. "Do... do you want me  
to come with you?"  
  
For a single, heart-rending instant, Tir seemed to hesitate, but  
then he shook his head. "It wouldn't be safe."  
  
"I can defend myself." Kasumi's eyes flared, but the fire  
vanished at Tir's next words.  
  
"From me?" Tir clenched his right fist. "Souleater wants you.  
I can feel it right now, pulling at you." He looked at Kasumi, eyes  
cold. "If you came with me, you would die."  
  
As Kasumi searched for a response, Tir turned and began to walk  
away. Just before he left the courtyard, he half-turned and said one  
last word. "Goodbye." With that, he was gone.  
  
It would be over three years before the two met again.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Author's Random Ramblings  
  
1) And that's it. Given that this was supposed to be a short ~40k story  
to be written in a week or two between chapters of Shades of Gray, it  
took far longer than I expected. But that's okay.  
  
2) I present the psuedo-official soundrack to MST:  
  
Series OP: Neon Genesis Evangelion - Tamashii no Refrain   
Tir Character Theme: Styx - Show Me The Way   
Kasumi Character Theme: Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles   
Part 1 ED: Boa - Duvet (Acoustic)   
Part 2 ED: Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper (Live)   
Part 3 ED: Tori Amos - Enjoy the Silence  
  
Wasn't that fascinating?  
  
3) Thanks to Ryan Hupp for his excellent (but slow) prereading.  
  
4) All C&C is of course welcome.  
  
5) Previous parts of this story are available on my website and at  
Fanfiction.net 


End file.
